'Theater' – Ceramics & Paintings by Anne Van Borselen

Anne Van Borselen was born 70 years ago in Surabaya, into a family of painters. On her mother's side, Anne descends from Imeria Sunassa - famous Indonesian artist. On her father's side, her great-great grandfather, J.W. Van Borselen (1825-1892), was the landscape painter of Holland's King William III.

Inspired by her artistic roots, Anne studied art in The Royal Academy of Art in The Hague and Rotterdam. A life-long artist, her first precocious interest in drawing expressed itself at the tender age of five when she used charcoal to create drawings on her mother's otherwise pristine walls. Undeterred, her parents persevered and sent Anne to art school.

An entire lifetime later, Ann Van Borselen's work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions in Europe and Indonesia as well as private commissions for businesses and public spaces throughout The Netherlands.

Painting on canvas, rice paper and panels, in mixed techniques employing acrylics, gouache, oil or ink in classic or abstract style, Anne also makes sculptures in bronze, stone and fibre. And, when in residence at Bali's famed Jenggala Ceramics, Anne paints works in ceramics and table wares.

Capable of maximizing effects of the limited choice of acrylic colors she puts on canvas, Anne uses gray, white, brown and black represents modesty in her artwork. "My paintings can be there or not there", Anne said, suggesting what she calls a transparent existence of artwork. A beautiful painting does not have to be bright and busy to call for attention, Anne explained, pointing to pre-historic paintings found in the French caves of Lascaux. In other works a choice of carmine red, pink and orange is combined with gray with striking effect.

In her ceramic pieces, Anne uses a wider range of color variations. A brilliant selection of bold colors has made her ceramic artwork beautifully eye-catching. The Renaissance maestros Angelo and Da Vinci have influence on Anne's chubby faces and voluptuous human figures. Whereas some of her abstract forms are inspired by Picasso, who Anne believes is a great master of human anatomy. Her abstract forms and figures gives the viewer the freedom to make their own interpretation of the artwork.

'Theater' – at Jenggala Ceramics

In her latest exhibition at Jenggala titled 'Theater', Anne conveys various stories of human figures. Life is a theater; and every individual is a director for their own life. There are good and bad, war and peace, drama and happiness.

Jenggala Art Gallery is proud to present 'Theater', an exhibition of paintings and ceramics by Anne Van Borselen open daily from September 14 – December 7, 2007.